56 



DOMESTICATED HUNTING-DOGS. 



herd, and stick to him through any foils or artifices which he may 

 have recourse to. From this property he has also been used to 

 trace human beings ; and as his nose is remarkably delicate in 

 hunting, even without blood, he has always been selected for that 

 purpose, whether the objects of pursuit were slaves, as in Cuba, 

 or sheep-stcalers, as in England. 



At present there are, as far as I know, no true bloodhounds in 

 England for this purpose, or indeed for any other, as I believe 

 the breed to be extinct; but several gentlemen possess hounds 

 commonly called bloodhounds, though only partially resembling 

 the veritable animal, and use them for hunting fallow-deer, espe- 

 cially those which are only wounded with the rifle, and not killed 

 outright. This dog is also kept for his fine noble appearance ; and 

 as his temper is generally less uncertain than the genuine old 

 bloodhound, and his taste for blood not so great, though still 

 sometimes beyond all control, he is not unfitted to be the constant 

 companion of man, but must always be regarded with some degree 

 of suspicion. Bloodhounds, more or less purely bred, are still 

 plentiful in the Southern States, where formerly considerable 

 packs were kept for hunting both deer and fugitive slaves. 



The following are the distinctive marks of this dog, which 

 should make their appearance even when one only of the parents 

 is thorough-bred: Hight, from 24 to 25 or even 26 inches ; pecu- 

 liarly long and narrow forehead: ears from 8 to 9, and even 10, 

 inches long; lips loose and hanging; throat also loose, and roomy 

 in the skin ; deep in the brisket, round in the ribs, loins broad and 

 muscular, legs and feet straight and good, muscular thighs, and 

 fine tapering and gracefully waving stern ; color black-tan, or deep 

 and reddish f:iwn (no white should be shown but on just the tip 

 of the stern) ; the tongue loud, long, deep, and melodious, and the 

 temper courageous and irascible, but remarkably forgiving, and 

 immensely susceptible of kindness. The illustration is a portrait 

 of the fine head of a dog owned by Mr. Reynold Ray, an old and 

 well-known breeder, and a prize-winner at various shows. 



